Top players to challenge WTA leadership in Doha

World number one Jelena Jankovic and her seven fellow qualifiers could have been forgiven if their only goal at the WTA Championships was to pocket the $1.34 million winner's cheque.

Chasing ranking points is also usually high on the agenda. But with Jankovic having already secured the year-ending world number one spot, the top players are more concerned with their future on the Tour.
 

The likes of Ana Ivanovic want to have a showdown with the WTA Tour's bosses in Doha, which is staging the season-ending event for the first time, to vent their frustrations over the demands placed upon them by the revamped playing schedule.
 

Under the banner of the Tour's landmark 2009 Roadmap calendar, players will now need to compete in a fewer number of tournaments from next season. But the trade-off is that top-10 players could be suspended if they opt to miss any event designated as "mandatory".
 

They must compete in at least 10 of the 20 Premier events -- previously known as Tier I and II tournaments -- and the four grand slams. All top 10 players must compete at Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing.
 

PLAYER MEETING
 

A WTA spokesman told Reuters there would be a player meeting at the championships on Sunday where, among various agenda items the Roadmap will be discussed with Tour chief Larry Scott.
 

"We do have our voice and we have to come together," French Open champion Ivanovic said shortly before heading to Doha.

"The changes were made in the middle of the season and when you're playing grand slams you don't really want to think about next year's schedule.
 

"Many players probably didn't look deep into it and kind of let it go, and all of a sudden you're there with the change so it's a little bit hard."
 

The new schedule dictates where the top players can compete and, more importantly, where they cannot.
 

As part of its commitment to tournament directors, the WTA Tour has guaranteed to provide a number of players of a certain ranking for the top tier events.
 

In 2007, the number of marquee players fell short at every event. In an attempt to prevent that happening in the future, there are far stricter rules and punishments directed at top 10-ranked players.
 

"If players don't play the big events, there will be zero pointers (in their rankings)," Scott said during the U.S. Open.
 

"We'll have suspensions for the first time ever in tennis next year."
 

Players who skip mandatory events will be given several chances during the course of the year to do some promotional work for the tournament. If they fulfil this, they will avoid any suspensions.
 

"But if they don't do that, then they'll be subject to a (two-tournament) suspension the following year," said Scott.

Although there is much more prize money on the table than before, that might not satisfy players who are already multi-millionaires.
 

On court, Serena Williams is the only former champion in the running for the Doha crown since title holder Justine Henin quit professional tennis in May while 2004 winner Maria Sharapova has been sidelined for several months with a shoulder problem.